Emmy-Winning Director Slams America For “Trans Civil Rights Problem”

Jill Soloway won the award for Best Directing for a Comedy Series on Sunday at the 2015 Primetime Emmys–and she used her victory speech as a launch pad to slam Americans on transgender rights.

Soloway is the creator of the critically-acclaimed Amazon show, “Transparent,” which features a transgender woman, played by Jeffrey Tambor, who comes out to his children.

Like the fictional character, Soloway’s dad–whom she now calls “mapa”–is also a transgender woman.

In her speech, Soloway said, “Something interesting about my mapa Carrie. She could go to try and find an apartment, and in 32 states it would be legal for the landlord to look her in the eye and say, ‘We don’t rent to trans people.'”

Soloway added: “We don’t have a trans tipping point yet. We have a trans civil rights problem.”

She then urged viewers to support the “transequality” bill in Congress, which would add gender identity to a growing list of protected classes, who can’t be discriminated against for things like housing or employment.

Soloway has a history of using her victory speeches to raise awareness about transgender issues. In December, when she won a Golden Globe for “Transparent,” she also used her speech to draw awareness.

After Caitlyn Jenner–the former Olympian once known as Bruce Jenner–came out as transgender earlier this year, the visibility of transgendered people have been exploding. But so far, none of that has resulted in any new legal protections. It remains to be seen whether activism from Hollywood, like Soloway’s, can make any difference.

Candice has almost 20 years of experience reporting for various conservative publications. When she's not writing, she enjoys being outdoors--especially camping, hiking, and hunting. She lives in Harrisburg, PA, with her husband.